Ethnic Korean Writer Ushio Fukazawa Ends Contract with Shinchosha Over Discrimination Controversy

Ushio Fukazawa, an ethnic Korean author, has announced her decision to end her contract with Shinchosha Publishing Co. due to what she describes as the company's unwillingness to confront serious discrimination concerns raised by a recent magazine column. Additionally, she intends to reclaim all publishing rights for her works that have been released under Shinchosha.

On August 27, Fukazawa's lawyer relayed the author's grievances, stating that Shinchosha had consistently failed to address the controversy surrounding a column published in late July in their Shukan Shincho magazine. The column, written by Masayuki Takayama, contained direct attacks on Fukazawa and others of foreign descent, including derogatory comments suggesting they should not use Japanese names if they harbored negative feelings towards Japan.

The backlash against Takayama's piece, which referenced Japan's historical wartime policies forcing Koreans to take on Japanese names, led to widespread condemnation, with many labeling it as hate speech grounded in ethnic discrimination. In response to the public outcry, Shinchosha decided to discontinue the column.

Fukazawa requested a thorough review of the incident from Shinchosha, along with a written apology and space in the magazine for her own critique and rebuttal. Shinchosha's statement on August 12 expressed regret over the column's repercussions but was interpreted by Fukazawa's team as an insufficient acknowledgment of the discriminatory content.

She sought clarification on whether Shinchosha recognized the column as discriminatory and reiterated her demand for space to respond. Shinchosha’s later response attempted to clarify the intentions behind Takayama's comments, asserting that it was meant to critique the journalism of the Asahi Shimbun. The publisher admitted to accepting criticism regarding its discriminatory nature and acknowledged its responsibility for publication.

Despite this, Shinchosha did not clearly state its official position on the column's content and offered mere two pages for Fukazawa's rebuttal, which led her to feel disenchanted with the publisher's approach. Consequently, Fukazawa's lawyer noted that she no longer had any interest in publishing her response through Shinchosha.

In her statement on August 27, Fukazawa expressed her emotional hurt from the discriminatory implications of the column and her despair at the ongoing refusal from Shinchosha to address these serious issues. She conveyed her exhaustion from the drawn-out dialogue, indicating it had significantly impacted her sense of well-being. Inquiries about her rights reclamation were met with a response from a Shinchosha representative saying they had not received any formal requests as of that date.